Mormon says, concerning the king-men, that "those of their leaders who were not slain in battle were taken and cast into prison, for there was no time for their trials at this period" (Alma 51:19). Six years passed before these prisoners received a trial, at which they were simply sentenced and "executed according to the law" (Alma 62:9). According to John Welch, Moroni's conduct . . . may appear harsh to modern readers, but it was consonant with the martial laws of his day. An ancient passage in 1 Samuel 8:11-17 documents the right of the king to compel military service, a rule that would have been widely observed. As Maimonides more recently explained, the king could "issue a decree that whoever evades [military taxes or conscription] may be punished either by confiscation of property or by death." [John W. Welch, "Law and War in the Book of Mormon," in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 52]